Combined latch and lock



June 26, 1934. K, H. BROMAN COMBINED LATCH AND LOCK Filed Oct. 51, i935 Al INVENTOR @Ig W74 t i4; ATTORNEY Patented June 26, 1934 UNITED STATES COMBINED LATCH AND LOCK Karl Henry Broman, Chicago, Ill.

Application October 31,

9 Claims.

My invention relates to locks for doors and the like and refers in particular to a combined latch and lock of a general type which it is common to employ upon the doors of automobiles.

An important object of my invention is to provide a maximum degree of security in the locked condition of the door, including security against the probability of obtaining entrance by breaking the lock. Other objects of my invention 10 are strength, extreme simplicity of construction, reliability, dependability and durability, together with convenience and economy or" manufacture. Other more particular objects and advantages and desirable attributes of the combined latch and lock of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In carrying out my invention, a rotatable outer handle shaft member is tubular and forms a sleeve within which are housed operating parts of the device as a whole. An inner tubular end member or sectional part of the handle shaft has an internally screw-threaded cup-shaped head portion which is swiveled to the inner end portion of the handle shaft sleeve and has a projecting stem portion for operating a suitable '25 form of combined latch and lock bolt, such as by means of a usual form of rollback. The inner portion of the handle sleeve adjacent such end member is also internally screw-threaded from its inner end for some distance outward toward 30 its handle end.

An externally screw-threaded coupling plug is adapted to rotate and have traveling movement within the screw-threaded portion of the handle sleeve and thus to be screwed into the head of the swiveled inner end member. 'W hen this traveling plug is thus screwed inward it couples -the handle sleeve to the swiveled lock-operating end member for unitary rotative movement therewith.

When this traveling plug is retracted out of engagement with the swiveling lock-operating end member, then the handle sleeve may be freely Vand harmlessly rotated by means oi its outer handle. A suitable form of key-operated lock is iixed in the outer end portion of the handle sleeve to be exposed at the front of the handle. This lock carries an inwardly extended rotatable stem which enters the coupling plug and is adapted to rotate the latter, which in turn is adapted to have 50 traveling sliding movement along this lock stem.

My invention further includes various features of construction and combinations of parts as will appear from the following description and as set forth in the appended claims.

A particular description of the combined latch 1933, Serial N0. 695,979

and lock of my invention will now be given with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which similar parts are designated by similar numerals.

Figure 1 is an outside front elevation of a combined latch and lock embodying my invention indicated as installed upon the door of an automobile.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1 with some parts in plan view and shows the operating parts in the position they occupy when the door is locked.

Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 partly in elevation.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a traveling screwthreaded coupling plug which appears in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a unitary lock element.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a swiveled inner end member of the handle sleeve.

The combined latch and lock illustrated in the accompanying drawing as an embodiment of my invention is adapted, as indicated, to be installed upon a right-hand door 11 of an automobile. By a right-hand door is meant, as is in general commonly understood, a door which, when opened towards a person, swings toward the right, which of course, in the case of an automobile door, is outwardly and towards -the right. `For installation upon a left-'hand door, in carrying out my invention, the latch and lock elements would desirably have a reversed construction and arrangement, as is commonly the case with combined latches and locks of this type, and will be more particularly referred to later.

The combined latch and lock of my Ainvention shown in the drawing has a handle member 12 fixed upon the outer en d of a handle sleeve 13 journaled in an escutcheon plate ll. A 'keyoperated lock 15 has its b arrel or outer casing portion xed in the outer end of the sleeve 13. This lock 15 -rctatively carries an inwardly exv tending rotatable stem 16, shown as square and as engaged in Va square hole through a traveling plug 17. The latter has screw-threaded engagement within the handle sleeve 13 and is adapted to be screwed inwardly into an internally screw-threaded cup member 18, which is swiveled within the inner end portion of the handle sleeve 13 and has a projecting squared stem 19 adapted to carry and operate a door-locking member, indicated as a rollback 20.

The lock 15 may be of any suitable construction having an inner rotatable part 15A adapted to carry the rotatable stem 16, such rotatable part of the lock commonly being a locking cylinder rotatable within its outer barrel l5 and adapted to be unlocked or released and rotated by means of a key. As locks of this type are Well known and commonly used, there seems no need to illustrate the details oi internal construction of the lock 15 shown in the drawing. The lock 15 is securely fixed in place in the outer end portion of the handle sleeve 13, which may be accomplished 1n any convenient way, such as by means of a drive nt. The particular lock 15 is shown as having an outer annular flange 15B, by which the extent of its insertion into the bore or the handle sleeve 13 is limited.

It will be noted that the neck portion 13A of the handle sleeve 13 between the handle 12 and the escutcheon plate 14 is shouldered against the outer side of the escutcheon plate. At a point coming within the bearing formed by the escutcheon plate 14, the handle sleeve 13 is provided with a rounded recess 21. The inner rounded end of a small slidable pin 22 is adapted to be seated in the recess 21 by a backing spring 23 and is held in place by an outer end plug 24. This pin 22, its spring 23 and abutment plug 24 are all contained within a small bore extending radially through the escutcheon plate 14, as shown most clearly in Figure 3. This springpressed pin 22, seating in the recess 21, serves to indicate when the handle 12 is in the correct position for the key to be used in the lock 15, for unlocking the door 11, and also serves another important purpose as will clearly appear later.

The head 18, together with its stem 19, constitutes an inner end member tor the tubular handle stem 13, with which the rotative traveling screw-threaded plug 17 cooperates in locking and unlocking the door 11. The inner end of the handle sleeve 13 has a swiveling socket connection with the head 18. The inner end portion 13B of the handle sleeve 13 is provided with an enlarged smooth cylindrical bore providing an inner shoulder which forms an abutment stop for the annular open end of the cup-shaped head 18. The end of the sleeve portion 13B is turned over inwardly to form an internal annular retaining flange or lip 13C, which extends over the shoulder formed between the head 18 and its stem 19, as shown in Figure 2.

The handle sleeve 13 is freely rotatable upon the head 18, to which it is thus coupled with a swiveling connection. That portion of the bore of the handle sleeve 13 immediately adjacent to, and for some distance along its length outwardly from, the head 18, has therein a coarse and strong square-faced screw thread 13D, shown as a double thread, and the hollow or cup-shaped head 18 has therein an exactly similar or duplicate double screw thread 18A. The traveling coupling plug 17 has an external coarse and strong square-faced double screw thread 17A, which is complementary to the internal screw thread 13D of the handle sleeve 13, and also is in like manner complementary to the internal screw thread 18A of the cup-shaped head 18.

When the handle 12 is positioned so that the spring-pressed pin 22 is seated in the recess 21 of the handle sleeve 13, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, then the screw thread 13D within the handle sleeve 13 will be in registering alignment with the screw thread 18A within the head 18, so that thus the screw thread 18A will then form a continuation of the screw thread 13D. In Figure 2, the traveling plug 17 is shown as in retracted position entirely within the screwthreaded portion of the handle sleeve 13. In the illustrated construction, the screw threads 13D, 17A and 18A are shown as right-hand threads. It will now be evident that the plug member 17 is adapted to be rotated by the lock stem 16, and that as this screw-threaded plug rotates, it will travel along the handle sleeve 13, while at the same time it will slide along the rotating lock stem 16.

When the lock part 15A and the couplin lr plug 17 are thus rotated within the handle sleeve 13 their friction therein will have a tendency to transmit rotative movement to this outer sleeve 13. Any such rotational displacement of the uncoupled handle sleeve 13 would prevent the traveling coupling movement of the screw-threaded coupling plug 17, since in such case the screw thread 13A within the head 18 would not form a continuation of the screw thread 13D within the outer sleeve 13 and consequently the screw thread 17A on the coupling block 17 would not be in registering alignment with the screw thread 18A. In the illustrated construction, the seating of the spring-pressed pin 22 in the recess 21 of the handle sleeve 13 afords suliicient resistance to hold the handle sleeve 13 against movement while the coupling plug 17 is being moved into its coupling position.

With the several operating parts of the device positioned as shown in Figure 2, should a proper key be inserted into the lock 15 and the lock stem 16 thereby rotated in a right-hand or clockwise direction, the inner end portion of the plug 17 will be screwed into the head 18. This will couple the handle sleeve 13 and the head 18 together so that the door 11 will then be in an unlocked condition and may be unlatched and opened by merely rocking the handle 1.2 in a right-hand direction, or downwardly, as indicated in Figure 1. A reverse or left-hand movement of the key in the lock 15 will withdraw or retract the plug member 17 out of the head 18, as is shown in Figure 2. The handle sleeve 13 is then uncoupled or disconnected from the swiveled head 18 so that this handle sleeve 13 will then be free and may be loosely rotated by means of its handle l2, while the door ll is in a locked condition.

The screw threads 13D, 17A and 18A are sufficiently large or coarse that a half turn of its key in the lock 15, in a right-hand direction in this instance, will effect a secure coupling of the handle sleeve 13 with the cup-shaped head 18 of its inner end member, when the door 11 is to be unlocked; while, for again locking the door, a similar or corresponding half turn of the lock key in the opposite or left-hand direction will disconnect or uncouple the handle sleeve 13 from the head 18 of its inner end member. For carrying out my invention in the most practically workable manner, it is desirable that the screw threads, such as 13D, 17A and 18A, shall run in a right-hand direction, as shown in the drawing, for a right-hand door, such as 11.

In such case, it will be evident that when turning force is applied to the handle 12 for unlatching the now unlocked door 11, then these right-hand screw threads will have a tendency to draw the head 18 tightly against the shoulder formed with the inner end portion 13B of the handle sleeve 13, so that thereby the handle sleeve 13 and the head 18 of its inner end sec` tion will be tightly gripped together by the screw threads, and thus will be rmly and rigidly connected together for unitary rotation under the rotational strain applied to the handle sleeve 13.

For the same reason, it will be evident that it is more desirable to employ left-hand screw threads in an installation upon a left-hand door. However, with left hand screw threads employed in an installation on a right-hand door, or with right-hand threads in an installation upon a left-hand door, the device of my invention would still be operative, since friction of the screw threads would be sufiicient to prevent the plug member, such as 17, from being forced back outwardly. In such case, the torque applied to the coupling plug, such as 1'7, instead of clamping :the two handle sleeve parts or sections 13 and 18 together, would have a tendency to force them apart, so that then the shoulder formed by the head 18 would be forced against the end flange 13C of the handle sleeve 13, which obviously is not desirable.

The operation is as follows:-

With an automobile door equipped with the combined latch and lock of my invention, substantially as shown in the drawing, such door may be locked and unlocked by means of a proper key in the usual manner. In the locked condition of the door, as indicated by the retracted poisition of the coupling plug 17 shown in Figure 2, the handle sleeve 13 may be rotated around and around in either direction by means of its handle 12, the spring-pressed pin 22 being freely yieldable out of the recess 21 in the handle sleeve 13.

There is nothing which can be broken by turning force applied to the handle 12. Should this handle be thus turned and left out of its normal position, it may be readily returned to its proper position, which will be indicated by the springpressed pin 22 snapping into the recess 21. In order to unlock the door 11 by means of a proper key to its lock 15, this normal position of the handle 12 is required for thereby bringing the screw threads 13D of the handle sleeve 13 into registering alignment with the screw threads 18A in the cup-shaped head 18 of the inner end member or sectional part of the handle sleeve 13, as above described.

In this connection it is to be noted that the yieldable snap catch having the spring-pressed pin 22 also is effective to prevent the rotative displacement of the handle sleeve 13 when the lock part 15A is turned by its key in unlocking the door. It is obvious of the construction shown that the unlocked door 11 could be unlatched by turning movement applied to the lock part 15A.

It is furthermore to be noted that the device of my invention has no thin, flimsy or weak operating parts, such as would be likely to break, or become disarranged, or wear out quickly, in ordinary use. On the other hand, as will be noted, all parts and elements in the construction of my device are, Vnot only strong and sturdy, but such device is so constructed as to be smoothly operable with a minimum of friction, very unlikely to get out of order, and t0 have a long life of -usefulness without impairment and with very little wear.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction shown in the drawing and above particularly described, within the principle and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I do not limit myself specifically as to adaptations for particular uses, nor as to size, shape, contour, or specific relationship of the several operating parts, these being given simply as a means for clearly describing the combined latch and lock device of my invention.

What I claim is:-

1. In a locking device, in combination, axially aligned inner and outer stem parts with saidf outer stem part normally freely rotatable relatively to said inner stem part, the mutually adjacent portions of said stem parts being provided with matching screw threads adapted to have registering alignment with each other, a screwthreaded traveling coupling member adapted to have engagement at the same time with said screw threads on both of said stem parts and thereby to couple said stem parts together so as to transmit rotation from said outer stem part to l' said inner stem part, said coupling member also being adapted to have engagement with the screw threads upon only one of said stem parts so as thereby to disconnect said outer stem part from said inner stem part and thus providing for the individual rotative movement of the latter stem part, and a handle fixed upon the outer end of said outer stem part.

2. In a locking device, in combination, axially aligned inner and outer stem parts with said outer stem part normally freely rotatable relatively to said inner stem part, the mutually adjacent portions of said stem parts being provided with matching screw threads adapted to have registering alignment with each other, a screwthreaded traveling coupling member adapted to have engagement at the same time with said screw threads on both of said stem parts and thereby to couple said stem parts together so as to transmit rotation from said outer stem part to said inner stem part, said coupling member also being adapted to have engagement with the screw threads upon only one of said stem parts so as thereby to disconnect said outer stem part from said inner stem part and thus providing for the individual rotative movement of the latter stem part, and a locking element having means adapted to transmit rotative traveling movement to said screw threaded coupling member.

3. In a locking device, in combination, inner and outer stem sections lhaving adjacent ends swiveled together for normally free relative rotational movement, similar screw threads upon the adjacent end portions of said sections with said 125 screw threads adapted to form a continuous screw thread extending from one to the other between and along said stem sections, a rotatable longitudinally traveling screw-threaded coupling member adapted to have screw-threaded engage- V130 ment with the screw threads upon only one of said stem ksections and also adapted to have screw-threaded engagement at the same time with the screw threadsy upon both of said stem sections, and a locking element provided with 4135 means whereby said rotative traveling screwthreaded coupling member may be rotated into and out of screw-threaded coupling engagement with said stem sections.

4. In a locking device, in combination, a ro- 340 tative outer handle-sleeve section, a handle member fixed upon the outer end of said sleeve section, an inner lock-operating sleeve section telescopically swiveled with the inner end portion of said outer sleeve section, similar internal screw 145 threads being provided within both of said sleeve sections adapted to form a continuous screw thread from one to the other of said sleeve sections, a rotatable longitudinally traveling plug member provided with external screw threads "150 normally engaged with the internal screw threads of one only 0fsaid sleeve sections so as then to be entirely free from the screw threads of the other said sleeve section and adapted to have screw-threaded coupling engagement at the same time with the internal screw threads in both of said sleeve sections, a lock element fixed in the handle-carrying outer end portion of said cuter sleeve section, and a rotatable operating stem extending inwardly from said lock element within said outer sleeve section into said plug member and adapted to rotate said plug member while said plug memberis adapted to slide upon said lock stem so as thereby to move said plug member into and out of screw-threaded coupling engagement with said sleeve sections.

5. In a locking device, in combination, a rotative outer handle-sleeve section, a handle member fixed upon the outer end of said sleeve section, an inner lock-operating sleeve section telescopically Swiveled with the inner end portion of said outer sleeve section, similar internal screw threads within both of said sleeve sections adapted to form a continuous screw thread from one to the other of said sleeve sections, a rotatable longitudinally traveling plug member within one of said sleeve sections, external screw threads upon said plug member normally engaged with the internal screw threads of one of said sleeve sections so as then to be entirelyT free from the screw threads of the otherv said sleeve section and 4adapted to have screw-threaded coupling engagement at the same time with the internal screw threads in both of said sleeve sections, and a locking element having means adapted to rotate said plug member so as thereby to move said ,plug member into andout .of screw-threaded coupling engagement with said sleeve sections.

6. In a locking device, in combination, a rotative tubular outer handle shaft section open at both ends, a handle member fixed upon the outer end of said shaft section, an inner tubular shaft section having a telescopic swivel connection with said outer tubular shaft section," internal screw threads within each of said tubular shaft sections adapted to form a continuous screw thread from each of said tubular shaft sections into the other, a rotatable longitudinally traveling plug member within said outer tubular shaft section, and external screw threads upon said plug member normally engaged with the internal screw threads of said outer tubular shaft section and free from the internal screw threads of said inner tubular shaft section, and adapted to be rotated into and out of screw-threaded engagement with the internal screw threads of said innen tubular shaft section while still engaging with the internal screw threads of said outer tubular shaft` section.

7. In a locking device, in combination, a rotative tubular outer handle shaft section open at both ends, a handle member fixed upon the outer end of said shaft section, an inner tubular shaft section having a telescopic swivel connection with said tubular outershaft section, internal screw threads within each of said tubular shaft sections, adapted to form a continuous screw thread from each of said tubular shaft sections into the other, a rotatable longitudinally traveling plug member within said outer tubular shaft section, external screw threads upon said plug member normally engaged with the internal screw threads of said outer tubular shaft section and free from the internal screw threads of said inner tubular shaft section, and adapted to be rotatedinto and out of screw-threaded engagement with the internal screw threads of said inner tubular shaft section while still engaging with the internal screw threads of said outer shaft section, said plug member having an axial hole in it, a lock element xedly mounted within said outer tubular shaft section, and a rotatable stem extending from said lock element into the axial hole in said plug member and adapted to rotate said plug member while the latter is adapted to slide along said stem.

8. In a locking device, in combination, a rotative tubular outer handle shafty section open at both ends, a handle member fixed upon the outer end of said shaft section, an inner tubular shaft section having its tubular portion in the form of a cup-shaped head which has a telescopic -swivel connection with the inner end portion of said tubular outer shaft section, internal screw threads within each of said tubular shaft sections adapted to form a continuous screw threadfrom each of said tubular shaft sections into the other, a rotatable longitudinally traveling plug member within the inner end portion of said outer tubular shaft section, external screw threads upon said plug member normally engaged with the internal screw threads of said outer tubular shaft section and free from the internal screw threads of said inner tubular shaft section, and adapted to be rotated into and out of screw-threaded engagement with the internal screw threads of said inner tubular shaft section while still engaging with the internal screw threads of said outer shaft section, said plug member havinga non-circular hole through it axially, a lock element xedly mounted within theouter end portion of said outer tubular shaft section, and a rotatable non-circular stem complementary in shape to the axial hole in said plug member and into which said stem extends from said lock element.

9. In a locking device, in combination, adjacent axially aligned inner and outer shaft sections normally free from each other in uncoupled relation for relative rotational movement, screw threads of the'same pitch and direction upon the adjacent end portions of said shaft sections, a rotatable longitudinally traveling screwthreaded coupling member adapted to have screw-threaded engagement with the screw threads upon only one of said shaft sections in the uncoupled relation of the latter, said coupling member also being adapted to have screwthreaded coupling engagement at the same time with the screw threads upon both of said shaft sections thereby to couple said shaft sections together for unitary rotational movement, and a locking eiement provided with means whereby said rotative traveling screw-threaded coupling member may be rota-ted into and out of screwthreaded coupling engagement with said shaft sections.

KARL HENRY BROMAN.

lso 

